High school is over. Time to move on. But events conspire to reunite Ryan, Seth, and Summer in posh, seaside Newport. And there may even be a new Core Four. After Taylor says a quick "au revoir" to France, she just might pursue Ryan until he catches her.

Ryan, Marissa, Seth and Summer are starting their senior year of high school. But after the shocking events at the end of last year, Marissa finds she has been knocked off her pedestal, further straining her relationship with Ryan, and Summer faces new competition for social chair. Julie and Jimmy face their own issues, and Kirsten continues at her plush rehab, forming a friendship with fellow recovering alcoholic Charlotte.

Welcome to "The O.C.," where the lives of a group of friends and families have forever been changed by the arrival of an outsider to their affluent oceanside community of Newport Beach in Orange County, California.